Ask most college students what “situational awareness” means, and most will mutter something along the lines of “being aware of your surroundings” or “knowing what’s going on around you.” While their explanations aren’t wrong, they are somewhat incomplete. Though many students may be familiar with the term, their understanding of its depth and value is lacking. And for parents looking to ensure their children’s safety while off at college, vague explanations and general ignorance can read more…

Studying abroad is a valuable and often life-changing experience for college students. It gives you the opportunity to see other parts of the world, experience different cultures, and meet new types of people with unique viewpoints. The problem is: getting parents to buy in to the idea can be difficult. When they hear the phrase “study abroad,” they’re likely to see dollar signs and danger—and not without good reason. There are a lot of variables read more…

If you’re a young single adult and find first dates a little scary, that’s good. That means you understand that the world of today is not the same as it was thirty years ago when I was that age. As the father of two beautiful young ladies who are out on their own and active in the current dating scene, I take great concern in this topic. That’s why I decided to write this article. read more…

Over the past few months, we have seen the horrific events unfold in the United Kingdom. In March, an Islamist Jihadi P.O.S. drove a van into a crowd of pedestrians, injuring fifty and killing four. He later abandoned his van and fatally stabbed a police officer before other officers arranged a meeting between the terrorist and Allah. In late May, we witnessed another event where a terrorist detonated a suicide bomb at the Ariana Grande read more…

In 2016, Debra, a recent college graduate at her first job, attended a sales conference with her fellow colleagues. On the last night of the conference, she went to a group mixer with other sales people and a few potential customers. This was something she had done several times in the past. Nothing was unusual. What she had not counted on though was waking the next morning with no recollection of how she had gotten read more…

Are you alright? So, here’s a crazy story. When both of my boys were playing football in high school, one a quarterback and the other a free safety, a conundrum presented itself quite unexpectedly. They each had games in different cities on the same night. They were both at 7:00. So, being a good football dad, I thought, “I got this. I’ll watch the first half of one game and then go watch the second read more…

April 24, 2017

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Dale Antry

Flying; it has always been a dream of mine to break free from the bonds of gravity and soar through the skies. When I first joined the Army, I wanted to be a helicopter pilot but my eyesight and a less than scrupulous recruiter kept me from pursuing that dream. As a small child, my family and I never flew very much. In fact, I can only remember one vacation that involved air travel. It read more…

April 11, 2017

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Dale Antry

On Monday, April 10, 2017 at approximately 10:30AM, fifty-three-year-old Cedric Anderson walked into a San Bernardino classroom and open fired, killing his estranged wife, Karen Smith and an 8-year-old student. A 9-year-old was also wounded in the melee. According to a report on the CNN website, Anderson, during the shooting, reloaded what appeared to be a .357 caliber handgun, before killing himself. The report also documented that Anderson had a history of violent behavior in read more…

April 7, 2017

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Jaclyn Henderson

You’ve all seen the videos if you’ve watched Planet Earth or any nature documentary – the crocodile, slowly and silently slithering towards the gazelle who just stopped for a drink of water. The gazelle puts its head down for a split second, then snap, the crocodile’s jaws are around its neck. There are some situations in life that are completely unavoidable, sure. However, most of them are completely and totally avoidable, simply by being aware read more…

April 5, 2017

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Dale Antry

As the father of two beautiful young ladies I fully appreciate the anxiety a parent feels as they are about to send their children off to college. You want to make sure they have everything they need to make them successful and keep them safe. You buy them new clothes, make sure they have enough school supplies and tell them not to talk to strangers. It’s almost as if we are re-living that day when read more…

March 29, 2017

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Jaclyn Henderson

Part 1 You have accepted the fact that you want to learn how to protect yourself in any situation and be more aware of possible threats lurking in your surroundings. We call this concept, “situational awareness”, which is constantly staying alert for changes in the immediate vicinity. Becoming more situationally aware is not complicated, so don’t overthink it. I’ve always believed that the less moving parts, the less complicated anything could be. As humans, we read more…

March 28, 2017

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Jaclyn Henderson

Very early Sunday morning, the city of Cincinnati was hit with a colossal tragedy. A fight at a local club, “Cameo”, turned into a shootout that left one dead, two in intensive care, and a total of 16 injured. Where there’s alcohol, these things can happen, and it’s important to be aware of your surroundings, and even more important to stay safe if something does break out. There are practical things you can do before read more…

March 15, 2017

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Black Tree Experience

The formal launch of BLACK TREE signals a new era for self-awareness, survival techniques and a personal level of self-confidence that the public demands in today’s world of uncertainty. In the United States alone, the latest formal reports on committed crimes is staggering. Although the latest reports reflect previous year’s data, the indications still are clear. We need to be more self-aware and ready to confront unexpected scenarios that can threaten lives. Data collected during read more…